I BELIEVE IN JESUS CHRIST SEATED AT THE RIGHT HAND OF THE FATHER
PROCLAMATION OF HIS
VICTORY
After Jesus was resurrected and ascended to the Father, having
passed through the heavens
He entered into the heavenly temple of God, and there He received the official
proclamation of His victory on the cross, "Sit down at My right hand until
I make Your enemies a footstool for Your feet" (
Ps.110:1; cf.
Heb.1:3). The throne of God as it is presently
configured in the third heaven is an awesome thing and quite unlike what we
imagine when we use the word "throne". Four cherubs attend it and
provide locomotion for it when God appears with it on earth (cf. the book of
Ezekiel, especially chapters 1 and 10).
DIRECTION TO THE
OPPOSITE OF WRONG
The
Scripture has several words translated "right" and the usage of the
term, "right hand" ranges from a direction, to the opposite of wrong,
what is just or what conforms to an established standard, and to a place of
honor or authority. In the case of division or appointment in the Bible, the
right hand or right side came first, as when Israel (Jacob) divided the
blessings to Joseph's sons before he died (
Genesis 48:13-14).
GONE TO HEAVEN
The
fact that Jesus Christ is at the "right hand of God" was a sign to
the disciples that Jesus had indeed gone to heaven. In
John 16:7-15,
Jesus told the disciples that He had to go away and He would send the Holy Spirit.
So the coming of the Holy Spirit in the upper room on the day of Pentecost (
Acts 2:1-13)
was proof positive that Jesus was indeed in heaven seated at the right hand of
God. This is confirmed in
Romans 8:34 where the Apostle Paul writes that Christ is
sitting at God's right hand making intercession for us.
EQUAL HONOUR
a
person of high rank who put someone on his right hand gave him equal honor with
himself and recognized him as possessing equal dignity and authority. Jesus is
literally seated with the Father, at the right hand of the Father, but He is
sharing the throne (in the chariot with the Father) rather than sitting beside
it (cf.
Rev.5:6:
"the Lamb standing in the center of the throne") - just as we
who are faithful in this life are promised to do:
The
one who wins the victory, I will grant him to sit with Me on My throne just as
I also have won the victory and have taken My seat with My Father on His
throne.
Revelation 3:21
REDEMPTION WORK
SUCCESSFUL
The
fact that Christ is "sitting" refers to the fact that His work of
redemption is done and when the fullness of the gentiles is brought in (
Romans 11:25),
Christ's enemies will be made His footstool as the end of the age comes, all
prophecy is completed, and time is no more.
MESSIAH
The
term "God's right hand" in prophecy refers to the Messiah to whom is
given the power and authority to subdue His enemies (
Psalm 110:1;
Psalm 118:16).
We find a quote in
Matthew 22:44 from
Psalm 110:1,
which is a Messianic Psalm. "The Son of David" is claimed by the LORD
Jesus Christ as He is the "greater son of David" or the Messiah. In
this passage of
Matthew 22, Jesus questions the Pharisees about who they think
the "Christ" or the Messiah is. "While the Pharisees were
gathered together, Jesus asked them, Saying, What think ye of Christ? Whose son
is He? They say unto him, The Son of David. He saith unto them, How then doth
David in spirit call him Lord, saying, The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou on
my right hand, till I make Thine enemies thy footstool? If David then call Him
Lord, how is He his son?" (
Matthew 22:41-45,
KJV). The position of the Messiah is at God's right hand.
HE WILL COME AGAIN TO JUDGE THE LIVING
AND THE DEAD
We
shall be judged on our good and bad actions. The critical term in
distinguishing good and bad actions is “freedom.” We shall be judged on how we
have used our free will, whether in cooperating with God’s grace, or resisting
His grace. There is nothing more fundamental in our understanding of God’s
judgement than the fact that we have a truly free will. It is so free that we
can actually say, “No,” to the will of the Almighty. However, we are free not
only to choose the will of God, we are also free, that is, we have the power to
say, “Yes,” to God’s grace, with no less generosity. On all these counts, we
shall be judged when we are called by God into eternity.
On
the last day, Christ will come a second time into the world. As we said, this
is the Parousia, which means “manifestation.” The first time that He came
was in poverty and humility. The angels announced His first coming as a
helpless child. His Second Coming, however, will be in resplendent majesty. It
was this Second Coming that the angels foretold to the anxious disciples on
Ascension Thursday.
Christ
will preside as the King of the human race. He will exercise His divine power
indeed, but as the God-made-man. Jesus will have completed the purpose of the
Incarnation. God became man that as the God-man, He might redeem the human
race. But He also became man in order to judge the human race, especially on
its acceptance or rejection of Him as its Savior.
Finally,
Christ will judge every human being. On what grounds? Because that is why God
became man: to offer the gift of His grace, but also to judge the world on how
people have responded to His grace.
Christ
warns us to watch, because “you do not know the day when your Master is
coming.” Behind this warning is the profound wisdom which the Savior had of how
preoccupied we can be about the things of this world and how oblivious of the
world to come. All other addictions to creatures are only systematic of our
worst addiction, which is to the pleasures and joys, that life on earth can
provide us. The lesson our Lord is teaching is that we should live in this
world but always have our eyes on the world to come. The Old Testament proverb
tells us, “in all your works remember your last end, and you will never sin”
(Ecclesiasticus 7:40). All through our passage in time we should have our eyes
on eternity. We are to be always ready because we do not know when Christ will
call us from this life to the life that will never end.
Again
Jesus warns us to stay awake because “You know not the day nor the hour.” The
heart of Christ’s warning is in the imperative “stay awake.” The parable of the
wise and foolish virgins is a commentary on His imperative caution.
